You get a long way if you start from geometry, the numbers just being written representation of geometric constructs. The numberline is one such geometric const

You get a long way if you start from geometry, the numbers just being written representation of geometric constructs. The numberline is one such geometric construct that can be interpreted easily with the reals (distance along the line from the origin in some direction). Complex numbers can then be considered an algebra representing rotations and translations in a plane. The various geometric algebras map to more geometric constructs again.